Even the strongest of minds cannot resist falling for pizza. I mean, how can someone not love a crispy crust paired with delicious toppings and oodles of cheese! If there’s one international cuisine that we Indians love dearly, it has to be Italian. The variety of dishes with exciting flavours, textures and aromas that they offer are sure to tug at someone’s heartstrings in the first bite itself, and pizza has surely done the same. But do you know that although the Italian classic is loved universally, it is made differently around the world? Yes, you heard it right. So, we have brought before you five pizza styles that every pizza aficionado needs to know about.
1. Naples
The birthplace of pizza, Naples, takes its pizzas very seriously. If we look around the characteristics of Neapolitan pizza, it is quite evident that the toppings don’t matter. Rather, the deal is all about the crispy raised crust. The pizza usually has simple toppings and is quite popular even today.
2. Chicago
If you are a pizza aficionado, you must have heard the name of ‘deep-dish’ pizza. Basically, the Chicago-style pizza is as thick as a pie and mozzarella cheese underneath the toppings. It also has an interesting backstory. It is believed that in the early 1900s when Italian immigrants were missing their typical Neapolitan pizza, they created Chicago pizza. Legend has it that a man named Ike Sewell made this pizza with a crust with raised edges, mozzarella cheese slices over it followed by meat, some toppings and crushed canned tomatoes.
3. New York
With the crispy outer crust, foldable slices and large size, the New York-style pizza is one of the most popular styles of pizzas in the world. It was customised to suit the American palate with new varieties of toppings like pepperoni.
4. Greece
If you have ever come across a relatively thick and chewy pizza crust, it must have been Greek pizza. This pizza was invented by Greek immigrants who were introduced to pizza in America. It comes with a chewy crust and is usually made by cooking the pizza in a shallow oiled pan. This frying results in a chewy and puffy crust that sets Greek-style pizza apart.
5. Sicilian
Sicilian pizza usually comes with pillowy dough, crispy crust and a rich tomato sauce. According to legends, this style of pizza was brought to America by Sicilian immigrants in the 19th century and the pizza style became famous after the Second World War. The square-cut pizza comes with or without cheese and the cheese is usually added beneath the sauce to prevent the crust from becoming soggy.